Watkins leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Watkins typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watkins, ~20% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watkins compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Watkins leans more Republican than 37 of 53 neighbors.
Watkins runs about 29 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Why Watkins leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Watkins, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Watkins, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with high-school-completion-heavy adults tend to turn out at a higher rate; Watkins, IA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Watkins looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 97% of adults in Watkins have completed high school, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Norway, IA R+37
- Blairstown, IA R+44
- Newhall, IA R+35
- Walford, IA R+30
- Amana, IA R+34
- Atkins, IA R+36
- Van Horne, IA R+43
- Marengo, IA R+36
- Middle Amana, IA R+33
- Luzerne, IA R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Haralson, GA R+52
- Handy, GA R+64
- Nineveh Junction, NY R+39
- Stillwell, OH R+69
- Lakeland Shores, MN R+2
- Coxville, TN R+63
- Hambleton, WV R+50
- Wellsville, MI R+44
- La Paloma, TX R+4
- Montpelier, IA R+28
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.